The arrest of Pandan MP Rafizi Ramli just days before the ongoing Parliament sitting ends is tantamount to obtructing an MP doing his parliamentary duty, said DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang.

"The question whether the police can and should arrest Rafizi for alleged violation of the Official Secrets Act is a separate and secondary question. Why can’t Rafizi be arrested after the adjournment of Parliament tomorrow?" he said in a statement.

He said the arrest violated the unanimous resolution passed at the beginning of the current parliamentary meeting instructing inspector-general of police Khalid Abu Bakar to ensure that MPs are not hindered from making their way to and from Parliament.

"Is Khalid trying to show that he is above Parliament, and not subject to the instructions of Parliament, turning the whole system of parliamentary democracy and principles of government responsibility and accountability upside down?" asked Lim.

He pointed out that Khalid himself can be seen as preventing an MP from attending the last two sittings of Parliament with the arrest of Rafizi outside the gates of Parliament yesterday.

He said that Khalid should be jailed for contempt of Parliament for obstructing Rafizi from attending the last two sittings of the current parliamentary meeting.

Lim said that this was not a partisan issue affecting only MPs from PKR or Pakatan Harapan, but one that affects the parliamentary privileges of all MPs regardless of their political affiliation.

"All members of Parliament, regardless of party affiliation as well as the speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia, must stand as one on this issue of parliamentary privileges and not allow the IGP to thumb his nose at Parliament," he said.

Parliament will end its current sitting tomorrow.

Rafizi was arrested yesterday as he was exiting the Parliament gates, and was detained for exposing an OSA document.

The matter has been brought to the attention of Pandikar, who will rule on it after ascertaining if the areas around the Parliament gates are part of the Parliament precinct.

If it is, then police have taken action without giving due notice as is legally required.